Past, present, and future of sleep medicine research in Latin America.

NONE: Sleep medicine is a relatively young field with exponential growth in development and research in the last decades. Parallel to the advances in the United States, Latin America also had its beginnings in sleep medicine housed in neuroscience laboratories. Since the very first Latin American meeting in 1985, and the first sleep society in 1993, sleep research has undergone significant development in subsequent years. From contributions in animal research that allowed understanding of the activity of the brain during sleep to the studies that improved our knowledge of sleep disorders in humans, Latin America has become a scientific hub for expansion of sleep research. In this article, we present a historical account of the development of sleep medicine in Latin America, the current state of education and the achievements in research throughout history, and the latest advances in the trending areas of sleep science and medicine. These findings were presented during World Sleep Society meeting in Vancouver in 2019 and complement the work on sleep societies and training published by Vizcarra-Escobar et al in their article "Sleep societies and sleep training programs in Latin America" (J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(6):983-988).

Systolic Blood Pressure Elevation in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Improved with Positive Airway Pressure Use.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on blood pressure (BP) in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of children aged 7-17 referred to Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland for the evaluation of snoring. Data collected included age, body mass index (BMI), BP, heart rate, apnea-hypopnea index, and oxygen saturation nadir. Children were divided into 3 groups: snorers, untreated OSA, and OSA treated with CPAP. Seventy-five children were identified, 25 in each group. RESULTS: There was no difference in age or apnea-hypopnea index among the groups. The CPAP group had higher BMI than the snorers and untreated OSA groups. Systolic BP was higher in the 2 OSA groups compared with the snorers. After CPAP treatment, systolic BP decreased. The BP decrease was significantly greater in patients with higher BMI at baseline. There was no significant change in diastolic BP in the 3 groups. CONCLUSION: Children with OSA have higher systolic BP than habitual snorers. Treatment with CPAP in children with OSA for 6 months reduced their systolic BP despite a small increase in their BMI.

Efficacy of sleep education in a Dominican Republic neighborhood through training of community health promoters.

INTRODUCTION: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Global Health Allies program in the Dominican Republic trains nine health promoters (HPs) in various health subjects with the goal to educate the community. This time we evaluated our teaching session on sleep and sleep disorders. METHODS: Questionnaires were randomly administered to HPs, and community members in the Dominican Republic before and after the HP educational intervention. Nine HPs already enrolled in the CHOP program, received a 4-hour training session in sleep and sleep disorders. HPs were then instructed to educate the community as they usually do during their supervised weekly home visits. RESULTS: The nine HP demonstrated knowledge of sleep disorders in their post-training assessment. In the community, 93 adults responded to the initial questionnaire. Although 92 (99%) stated that sleep is important, very few knew about obstructive sleep apnea (n = 17; 18%) and narcolepsy (n = 11; 12%). The post-education questionnaire revealed no statistically significant change in the knowledge about sleep and sleep disorders in the community. CONCLUSION: The HP knowledge about sleep disorders improved after a 4-hour training session. The community knowledge did not change after education by HPs. Barriers to community education must be explored and the need for other forms of community education about sleep and sleep disorders should be addressed.